"Ear's lookin' at you,
kid!" The owner of those delightful long ears is Solomon, a basset hound
who was four years old at the time of his purchase.

Solomon has
"proven" himself as a breeder; with
Lizzie, he fathered a
daughter Rose, who was
sold at the same time as both her parents.

All three went to auction
suffering from an intestinal parasite called coccidia, which causes a condition
called coccidosis. Passed through feces, the most common symptom is diarrhea.
In most adult dogs, coccidia can be present with no ill effects at all, but it
can be very serious and even fatal for puppies.

Coccidia can spread through a
kennel like wildfire, particularly in crowded conditions sanitation is not all
it should be. All a healthy dog would have to do would be to walk through an
infected "mess" and lick his paws. Young puppies will get it from an
infected mother, even if she is showing no symptoms.